It’s difficult to assess whether Nitish Kumar retains full coherence in his thoughts and actions, given his prolonged avoidance of media interactions amid widespread speculation on his health, citing his public behaviour.Yet the one leader who truly owes a debt of gratitude to the late former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh – for shaping his image as “Sushasan Babu (the man of good governance)” and “Vikas Purush (the man of development)” – is none other than the Bihar chief minister himself.What stands out is Manmohan Singh’s remarkable generosity and foresight toward Bihar, even though Nitish headed a Bharatiya Janata Party-backed government that often sharply criticised the country’s first Sikh prime minister – an economist widely respected globally for his erudition, scholarship, and integrity.Nitish assumed office as Bihar’s chief minister in November 2005, more than a year after the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (with Congress at the helm) replaced the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre in May 2004. The UPA secured re-election in 2009 and governed for a full decade – a period that, ironically, coincided with Nitish’s rise as a symbol of development and good governance. Had Manmohan Singh adopted the partisan approach toward non-Congress-ruled states that the Narendra Modi-led government has displayed toward states like West Bengal, Kerala, or Tamil Nadu, Nitish might have faced severe political and administrative challenges.Singh’s largesseInstead of withholding support from the BJP-backed government in Bihar, Manmohan Singh extended substantial assistance. Under the UPA, the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) – launched to address regional imbalances – provided significant resources to Bihar’s backward districts, helping bridge gaps in infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and panchayat systems.Manmohan Singh’s government aided Nitish during crises, as is becoming of governments. In 2008, unprecedented floods triggered by a breach in the Kosi embankment in Nepal devastated the Kosi-Seemanchal region, leaving lakhs marooned and posing an enormous relief challenge.The then prime minister promptly visited Purnea, the regional headquarters, conducted an aerial survey, declared the floods a national calamity, and immediately sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore in relief funds, along with substantial foodgrain allocations. He acted swiftly and quietly, returning to Delhi without fanfare.A politically astute Nitish, however, leveraged the situation effectively, earning praise for personally distributing one quintal of foodgrains to each affected family across the vast inundated area – action that helped cement his image. To his credit, Nitish camped in the flood-hit zones for days, overseeing relief camps and operations with efficiency. Yet much of this was made possible by the central funds released under Singh’s compassionate and non-partisan leadership.Special categoryRather than expressing gratitude to Manmohan Singh, Nitish Kumar dismissed the Rs 1,000 crore flood relief as “paltry” and demanded larger funds for rebuilding the devastated region. He intensified his campaign for special category status for Bihar, culminating in a major rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, where he accused the UPA government of neglecting the state.Yet Singh remained remarkably non-partisan, even as Nitish sought to portray the Union government in a negative light. The prime minister constituted a committee under then RBI governor Raghuram Rajan to examine the demand for special category status, demonstrating openness to Bihar’s concerns despite the political criticism.Manmohan Singh also extended generous support to Nitish’s vision for reviving Nalanda University. The UPA government facilitated the project, with external affairs minister Salman Khurshid visiting the site to establish the governing body, chaired by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and supported by eminent experts from China, Japan, and Sri Lanka, aiming to create a world-class institution in Bihar.From P. Chidambaram to Kapil Sibal and Jairam Ramesh, many UPA cabinet ministers openly praised Nitish’s governance efforts, notwithstanding objections from his Bihar rival, then railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, the Union rural development minister from the Rashtriya Janata Dal quota – a principled socialist leader – actively assisted Nitish in rolling out the UPA’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) across Bihar. Politically astute, Nitish effectively utilised the scheme to generate rural employment and claim much of the credit for it.Whether due to political expediency, shifting alliances, or other factors, Nitish’s Janata Dal (United) has since supported the Narendra Modi government’s recent overhaul of the scheme – replacing MGNREGA with the new Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name in the process.Poetic justiceFar from showing gratitude to the large-hearted Manmohan Singh, Nitish aligned with the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement that targeted the prime minister. At one point, he remarked that Manmohan Singh was left with neither “saakh” (credibility) nor “dhaak” (authority). He also courted Arvind Kejriwal, a key figure in that campaign.It is worth recalling that Lalu Prasad Yadav, at the time, dismissed the Anna Hazare movement as “RSS-BJP sponsored” and “anti-reservation.”Paradoxically, Nitish’s challenges intensified after the Narendra Modi-led BJP government came to power in 2014, replacing Manmohan Singh. He has retained the chief minister’s post with BJP support, achieving remarkable longevity in office. Yet he appears to have lost much of the credibility, authority, image, aura, and sharpness that defined him during the Manmohan era. Recent incidents – such as pulling down a Muslim woman doctor’s niqab during an official event, using objectionable language toward women in the assembly, attempting to touch Narendra Modi’s feet, and behaving inappropriately during the national anthem – have fuelled widespread discussion about his conduct and health.Bihar’s media continues to buzz with reports that the BJP has consolidated control over the state, potentially sidelining him at will, with allegations that he is surrounded by RSS-BJP operatives. On the first death anniversary of Manmohan Singh, does Nitish Kumar spare a thought for the former prime minister who extended such unwavering support?Nalin Verma is a senior journalist, author, and media educator.